The TBR Tag!!!

The TBR Tag originated from Dana at Dana Square and Rachel at A Perfection Called Books! 

They want to know all about book bloggers wild TBR lists!!!

I was tagged by sweet Jaime at Fic Fare :)

Thank you so much, Jaime!!!

Please stop by and check out Jaime's awesome blog!

HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TBR PILE???

Ummm... I kind of don't. 

Yes, I use Goodreads and have shelves upon shelves; I always add the books that I buy/receive and divide them up into ARCs, hardcover, ebooks, paperbacks, to-review, etc. But I don't necessarily go back and reference my lists to keep track of them. Also, the only books that I do keep in my TBR piles are books for review. As those review stacks dwindle down, I add in the books I want to read.

I keep these stacks in my bedroom closet and they're stacked as per release month. Books that I really want to read are kept in a stack on my dresser. 

IS YOUR TBR MOSTLY PRINT OR E-BOOKS???
Mostly print! I have a ton of ebooks, but "out of sight, out of mind"! Seriously, even with the lists I have made, unless I'm on a blog tour, I always forget about ebooks/eARCs. Plus, my kindle recently broke, so if I want to read an ebook I have to read it on my phone... and that hurts my eyes, lol!

Physical books! Always!!!

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH BOOK TO READ FIRST???

Well... this is a tricky question!...

My review books take top priority, especially those that I have inquired about, which is not often, so those books always get read first. Of course, they also have to fit my mood... 

Next are unsolicited review books. I try to fit as many of those that I can. Again, I don't receive many, so most get read on a timely basis too. 

And then, I read the books that I either won in giveaways or purchased. I am a total mood reader and I usually try to read the books that have been released within the same year. This is my biggest pile and always the hardest to choose from.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I try to fit in classics and older books. I wish I had more time for these. Thankfully, this pile isn't too large either... at least, not to me ;) 

A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN ON YOUR TBR THE LONGEST???

Clockwork Angel, Catching Fire and Mockingjay were all added on December 26th, 2011!

The Book Thief was added on January 14th, 2012!!! I cannot see the movie until I read this first! lol

A BOOK THAT YOU HAVE RECENTLY ADDED TO YOUR TBR???

The Kanin Chronicles (Trilogy) by Amanda Hocking :) 

(Book three doesn't have a cover to it yet.)

I am DYING to get back into the TRYLLE world!!!

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR STRICTLY BECAUSE OF ITS BEAUTIFUL COVER???

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent.
I have never read a book by her. AND this cover!!!... I like it!

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU NEVER PLAN ON READING???

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Sorry. I am not a fan of this world.
*runs away and hides*

AN UNPLUBLISHED BOOK IN YOUR TBR THAT YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT???

No one can choose just one!!!

- A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas (- a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty!!!)

- I Was Here by Gayle Forman

- Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly 

- The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

- Finding Paris by Joy Preble

A BOOK THAT EVERYONE'S READ BUT YOU???

TFioS

Nope. Haven't read it. And when the movie came out, I was spoiled. 

So I won't be watching it until I read the book.
Which at this rate... might be another year or two...

AND!!! DIVERGENT!!! Haven't jumped into the hype yet! hee, hee

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT EVERYONE RECOMMENDS TO YOU???

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge and Stray by Elissa Sussman ... 

because you all know me so well :) *fairytale-swoons*

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU'RE DYING TO READ???

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (I haven't read any of his books either!)

AND!!! The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor - I have heard nothing but epic things about this story and her writing!!!

THE NUMBER OF BOOKS ON MY GOODREADS TBR SHELF... 

It says 421 on Goodreads... however, I think that it may be much less than that since I only go by my physical books and I do not have nearly that many in my physical piles. This tag has definitely pointed out that to me that I need to do some much needed cleaning on my Goodreads shelves :) 

TAG!!!... I tag: 

- Jessica at Books: A True Story

- Giselle at Book Nerd

- Lisa at Read. Breathe. Relax. 

And I also tag anyone else that wants to join in and share!!!

Let me know if you do :) 

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales Updates and Stacking the Shelves #67: The mid-July Edition

Good day my fellow booknerds :) 

I thought I'd try to post a quick update and book haul since we're almost mid-July already! 

I have been able to catch up on reading, especially reading my review books! And I am almost caught up with posting my reviews... lies! lol! I have about 25 posts before I'm caught up on those, but at least I've been able to post a handful this past week and have another handful pre-posted for the next week or two too! Feeling quite good right now :)

I am also participating in Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews!!!

What I received for review...
- THE VAULT OF DREAMERS (ARC) by Caragh M. O'Brien (YA) from Macmillan
- WINTERKILL (ARC) by Kate A. Boorman (YA) from Abrams/Amulet
- RIDING THE WAVE (eARC) by Lorelie Brown (A) from
- RUN TO YOU Parts 4 (Fourth Shadow), 5 (Fifth Touch), and 6 (Sixth Sense) (eARCs) by Clara Kensie (YA) from Harlequin Teen

What I purchased...
- PETER PAN (HB) by J.M. Barrie
- MY BEST FRIEND, MAYBE (HB) by Caela Carter (YA)
- SINNER (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3.5) by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)
- THE QUEEN OF TEARLING (HB) by Erika Johansen (A)

What I received in book-trades...
- FALLING INTO PLACE (ARC) by Amy Zhang (YA)

Cool swag...
- THE MURDER COMPLEX by Lindsay Cummings (YA)
- GATES OF THREAD AND STONE by Lori M. Lee (YA)

What I received in the Books 'n' Bloggers Swap, thank you Becky of Queen B!!!

- SAILOR MOON, PRETTY GUARDIAN VOLUME #2 by Naoko Takeuchi
- PRETTY DEAD (PB) by Francesca Lia Block (YA)
- TIDAL (Watersong #3) (PB) by Amanda Hocking (YA)

What's distracting me from reading...

My sister and I took a trip to a (not so) local Barnes and Noble...

We were very disappointed; not only by the bad service that we received from the manager.

But also - the condition of the store was SO bad! It was SO hot and SO humid that almost all of the books had some sort of damage to them! Especially the paperbacks - as you can see, most of their covers were curling over, I've never seen book spines and pages so wrinkled! Made me so upset to see how poorly all of these books were - and mad that they were expecting people to pay full price for them. I wonder what will happen to these damaged books :( 

Goofing off with my boys :) 

Taking local fun afternoon trips :) 

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

Happy reading :) 

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales Updates and Stacking the Shelves #66 - The June Edition

I cannot believe that June is over! Yes, it's over!

I need the summer to slow down - school ended this past Thursday and we have a lot of fun stuff planned, including trips to the library and lots of reading time. We really, really needed this long break from schedules and homework - so, can someone please press the pause button, please!!! 

Here's what we got this month!!!

I'm also participating in Tynga's Reviews, Stacking the Shelves :) 

What I received for review...
- THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS (Otherworld #1) (ARC) by Skylar Dorset (YA) from Sourcebooks Fire
- SOME BOYS (ARC) by Patty Blount (YA) from Sourcebooks Fire
- ADAM (PB) by Ariel Schrag (YA) from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- SHIPWRECK ISLAND (ARC) by S. A. Bodeen (MG) from Macmillan
- THE BONE SEASON (PB) by Samantha Shannon (YA/A) from Bloomsbury
- THE NEW COLORED PENCIL (PB) by Kristy Ann Kutch (E) from Crown Publishing (RH)

Swag...
- THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE by M. G. Buehrlen (YA) from author
- FORBIDDEN by Kimberley Griffiths Little (YA) from author

What I purchased...
- RUIN AND RISING (Grisha #3) (B&N Exclusive Edition HB) by Leigh Bardugo (YA)
- THE SAVAGE BLUE (Vicious Deep #2) (HB) by Zoraida Cordova (YA)
- ELEANOR & PARK (Collector's Edition HB) by Rainbow Rowell (YA)
- THE SHADOWHUNTER'S CODEX (HB) by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis (YA)

What I received in trades...
- REBEL BELLE (HB) by Rachel Hawkins (YA)
- EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU (HB) by Nina LaCour (YA)

Gifts...
- THE ETERNITY CURE (Blood of Eden #2) (HB) by Julie Kagawa (YA)
- THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE (HB) by Neil Gaiman (YA/A)

Netgalley...
- THE POSSIBILITY OF US by Lisa Burstein (NA)
- SWEET UNREST by Lisa Maxwell (YA)

Edelweiss...
- MESSENGER OF FEAR by Michael Grant (YA)
- NO PLACE TO FALL by Jaye Robin Brown (YA)

What I'm currently reading...
- THE VAST AND BRUTAL SEA (THE VICIOUS DEEP #3) (eGalley) by Zoraida Cordova (YA)
- ADAM (PB) by Ariel Schrag (YA)
- THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS (Otherworld #1) (ARC) by Skylar Dorset (YA)
- THE NEW COLORED PENCIL (PB) by Kristy Ann Kutch

What's distracted me from reading this month...
- Middle child turned 8!!!
- Baby boy has started to stand by hanging on to things!!!
- Hubs and kiddos working in our garden!
- School is all done!!!
- Squishing on my nephew :)
- And I re-organized my books again, lol!

Thank you for stopping by today!!!

xoxo

My day at BEA2014 and Book Haul :)

BEA was wonderful this year!
I decided to keep things easy and light since I was going in by myself for the first time on the train - I had never ridden on a train before, and was a bit nervous. So proud of myself ! Finally taking a step in getting over one of my fears! And getting through the day, on my own, and coming back in one piece! This may be silly to most of you, but this was a really big day for me, in so many ways. I can't stop smiling thinking about it all, lol!

I also took my FIRST cab ride ever!!! AND I hailed it all on my own!!!

*pats self on back*

WELCOME TO BEA!!!

LOVED seeing Lauren Oliver's ROOMS on their doors, such an awesome welcome sign!

Too bad her line was too long to get a copy... must remember to sign-up for it at the library.

I got to the Javits Center a bit late, about 8:30ish. Which was actually a good thing because I didn't have to wait on any lines to get my badge or check in my bag. But, I did miss out on the majority of the Harlequin Teen Breakfast. I now know how to plan better for next year!
The little bit of the breakfast that I was there for was amazing, saw a lot of familiar bloggers and got to speak to Julie Kagawa, Jennifer L. Armentrout and Adi Alsaid! So happy I was able to talk to the authors I wanted to the most!

After the breakfast, made a quick trip to the loo! Walked by these amazingly HUGE banner ads for Rick Yancy, Scott Westerfeld, Adi Alsaid and Jodi Picoult, and headed up to the main floor...
I walked around in a daze for the first 45 minutes and saw a few things like...

The DK booth! LEGO STAR WARS!!!

And then finally decided to take a peek at my schedule and decided to go to Jennifer Donnelly's signing for DEEP BLUE :) 

While standing on line, I met a lovely woman who owns a bookstore in Alaska! She was the most nicest person I spoke to all day! I wish I had gotten her card to keep in touch... 

After that, I walked around for a bit, visited Harlequin's booth and saw a Fiat for Adi Alsaid's LET'S GET LOST! I wish I could have driven this home rather than taking the crowded train back home!!!

Walked around a bit more, and visited Macmillan's booth and got a peek at RAINBOW ROWELL signing LANDLINE! Her line was ticketed and I was way too late, lol!

Got to see/meet a few bloggers!!!... the best time to chat is when you're standing in a 'signing line' waiting and waiting... These are the only pics I managed to take! I was in awe, I kept forgetting to take a pic with people, lol!

I met Lauren of Love is Not a Triangle :) 

She was so sweet!
I got to tag along with her to Scholastic's booth for the SINNER book drop
and then to Melissa Marr's MADE FOR YOU signing :)

Also, while waiting for Melissa Marr, I ran into... 

Danny of Bewitched Bookworms and Jenny of Supernatural Snark!
Both girlies also manage Kismet Book Tours :)

After that signing, I decided to take one last stroll around the floor and ran into BILLY IDOL!!!
*White Wedding*

Around this time, I managed to pick up a copy of Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld -
my day was complete! It was time to go home...

Until I ran into R. L. STINE!!!

And then I was definitely done!!!
I ended up leaving a little after 2pm and catching the 3:07pm train home, lol!

Goodbye BEA!!! Until next time :) 

Train ride home selfie :) with Little Elliot tote bag!

Now unto my BEA bookhaul ;)
I was very picky about what to take. I didn't want to take books I didn't know anything about, nor did I want to carry anything more than I wanted to, lol!

A few Young Adult books... 

I received all of the Harlequin Teen books in a tote during their breakfast that morning :)
For the other books, I waiting on lines for, except for Vampires of Manhattan and Afterworlds, I just happen to be walking by at the right time - lucky me!

- TALON (signed ARC) by Julie Kagawa
- MADE FOR YOU (signed ARC) by Melissa Marr
- SINNER (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3.5) (ARC) by Maggie Stiefvater
- GHOST HOUSE (ARC) by Alexandra Adornetto
- THE YOUNG ELITES (Sampler) by Marie Lu
- DEEP BLUE (Waterfire Saga #1) (signed HB) by Jennifer Donnelly
- THE IRON TRIAL (Magisterium #1) (ARC) by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare (MG)
- VAMPIRES OF MANHATTAN (ARC) by Melissa de la Cruz (New Adult)
- LET'S GET LOST (signed Sampler) by Adi Alsaid
- THE FIRE ARTIST (ARC) by Daisy Whitney
- LIES WE TELL OURSELVES (ARC) by Robin Talley
- AFTERWORLDS (ARC) by Scott Westerfeld
- INVISIBLE (The Twixt #2) by Dawn Metcalf

A few middle grade books... (1 children's picture book)

The author to Number One Sam, Greg Pizzoli, just happened to be signing next to Jennifer Donnelly, I spotted his book while standing on line and I just knew that I had to get a signed copy for my baby boy Sam :) His first signed book! It's SO adorable!!! I hope he grows up to love books just as much as his brothers and I do!

- THE 8TH CONTINENT (HB ARC) by Matt London
- A PLAGUE OF UNICORNS (ARC) by Jane Yolen
- HOUSE OF ROBOTS (ARC) by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
- THE QWIKPICK PAPERS: Journey to the Fountain of Poop by Tom Angleberger
- STICK DOG (Sampler) by Tom Watson
- TOTO TROUBLE #2: BACK TO CRASS (Graphic Novel PB) by Thierry Copee
- NUMBER ONE SAM (signed HB) by Greg Pizzoli (Children's Picture Book)

TOTE BAGS!!!

SWAG!!!

And that was my glorious BEA day!

Such a fun experience! It was so well organized and calmer this year - I had gone to BEA 2 years ago and it was so overwhelming and chaotic. And the publishers were even more welcoming and willing to talk and share. And again, seeing so many blogging friends and familiar faces, made it all even better!

Can't wait to go again next year... and hopefully last longer than just a few hours, lol!

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales Updates and Stacking the Shelves #65

The warmer weather has finally hit home! And school is almost out!

I'm looking forward to our schedule to being almost non-existent soon :)

More time to snooze, more time to play in the yard and garden, and of course, plenty of more time to read in the shade... or air conditioning ;) hee, hee!

In case you missed it - I have a new feature on my blog called Indie Mondays.

I'm hoping to highlight and bring attention to a few independent authors that I am interested in reading their books, but just don't have the eye-power and time to do so right now. Please take a peek, you might find a hidden treasure! 

Also, if you live children's picture books, I'm going to be reviewing a lot more soon!

Our latest one is NINJA! by Arree Chung - so CUTE! You definitely have to check out his illustrations!

It's time to do my book haul for the week... my BEA recap and haul will be up tomorrow :)

I am participating in STACKING THE SHELVES

hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews

What I received for review...
- I BECOME SHADOW by Joe Shine (YA) from Soho Teen for Blog Tour/Review

What I purchased...
- SUMMER STATE OF MIND (signed PB) by Jen Calonita (YA)
- BETTER OFF FRIENDS (signed HB) by Elizabeth Eulberg (YA)
- SAILOR MOON, Pretty Guardian Volume #1 (manga) by Naoko Takeuchi
- FLY ON THE WALL: HOW ONE GIRL SAW EVERYTHING (HB) by E. Lockhart (YA)
- THE BOYFRIEND LIST (Ruby Oliver #1) (HB) by E. Lockhart (YA)
- THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS (Ruby Oliver #3) (HB) by E. Lockhart (YA)
- REAL LIVE BOYS (Ruby Oliver #4) (HB) by E. Lockhart (YA)

What my sister 'unhauled' to me...
- RUBY RED (Precious Stone Trilogy #1) (PB) by Kerstin Gier (YA)
- SAPPHIRE BLUE (Precious Stone Trilogy #2) (HB) by Kerstin Gier (YA)
- FRAGILE ETERNITY (Wicked Lovely #3) (HB) by Melissa Marr (YA)
- RADIANT SHADOWS (Wicked Lovely #4) (HB) by Melissa Marr (YA)
- HOURGLASS (Evernight #3) (HB) by Claudia Gray (YA)
- AFTERLIFE (Evernight #4) (HB) by Claudia Gray (YA)
- THE ALCHEMYST (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) (PB) by Michael Scott (MG)

What I'm currently reading...
- I BECOME SHADOW by Joe Shine (YA)

What is currently distracting me from reading...

- Went to a book club signing at a somewhat local library and got to see these lovely contemporary ladies :) 

Jennifer E. Smith, Kieran Scott, Susane Colasanti, Elizabeth Eulberg & Jen Calonita.

- Organized bookshelves and un-Hauled some books!

- Baby boy is really enjoying giving me some mini-heart-attacks lately - Trying to crawl off the bed, knocking lamps over, sitting up... oi! He's done more than his two older brothers ever did at this age!

He's 7 months old today!

What have you all been up to this week???

Hook me up with some links!!! I need to see :) 

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales Updates and May Book Haul (#64)

I cannot believe that it is the first day of June!!!

Do you like my blog's new look???

I am in love! What do you think???

The wonderful Lori of Imagination Designs did it again :) 

She's brilliant and so amazign to work with!

I am participating in STACKING THE SHELVES

hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews

For review...
- MY BEST FRIEND, MAYBE (ARC) by Caela Carter (YA) from Bloomsbury Teens for review
- UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER FOR KIDS! (HB) for Kismet Book Tours
From MacTeen...
- TRIAL BY FIRE (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1) (ARC) by Josephine Angelini (YA)
- ADRENALINE CRUSH (ARC) by Laurie Boyle Crompton (YA)
- JESSIE ELLIOT IS A BIG CHICKEN (HB) by Elise Gravel (MG)
- PINOCCHIO (ARC) by Kate McMullan (MG)
- IF YOU WERE A DOG (ARC) by Jamie A. Swenson (C)
- TEN RULES OF BEING A SUPERHERO (ARC) by Deb Pilutti (C)
- LITTLE ELLIOT BIG CITY (ARC) by Mike Curato (C)
- FRANKENSTEIN'S FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (ARC) by Ludworst Bemonster (C)

What I purchased...
- DANGEROUS CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (YA)
- DREAMS OF GODS & MONSTERS (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor (YA)

Giveaway win...

From Regan @ Peruse Project/Simon & Schuster:

- SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE (HB) by Morgan Matson (YA)

- SECOND CHANCE SUMMER (PB) by Morgan Matson (YA)

- AMY & ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR (PB) by Morgan Matson (YA)

From Goodreads/Harlequin:

- SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE (ARC) by Anouska Knight (A) from Goodreads/Harlequin

Currently reading...

- CITY OF LOST SOULS (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare (YA)
- THE ART OF LAINEY by Paula Stokes (YA)
- PLAYED (Hooked #2) by Liz Fichera (YA)

What's distracting me from reading...

BEA!!!

My BEA recap and haul will be posted soon :)

 BOYS!!!

We went out to lunch recently!

And here's the baby trying to get in on some 3DS action, lol!

Thank you for stopping by today!!!

Please leave your links so I can visit you too :) 

xoxo

Bumbles and Fairy-Tales Updates and Book Haul (#63)

Hello bookish-nerds :) 
I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying amazing reads!!!

It's been a really busy two weeks around these parts - and of course, everyone had to get sick to make thing even more interesting for me, lol! They're all doing better except me :p I have now lost my voice and it's been quite funny trying to get things done and keep my boys in line, ha! 
It's also been a very busy time for books too! I did not think that I would have a book haul already, let alone one with so many books! I am beyond happy and blessed and cannot wait to read all of them within the next few months... 

2 weeks ago, my sister and I had a girls night out to the Book Revue for Jenny McCarthy's 'Stirring the Pot' book signing - we had SO much fun! It felt good to just be us for a little while, with the bonus of being surrounded by books ;) 

I am participating in STACKING THE SHELVES

hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews

For review...
- HUNGRY (ARC) by H. A. Swain (YA) from MacTeen for Blog Tour/Review
- DEADWOOD (PB) by Kell Andrews (MG) from Spencer Hill Press for Good Choice Reading Blog Tour/Review

Book-trades... (via YA Book Exchange)
- LET'S GET LOST (ARC) by Adi Alsaid (YA)
- DOROTHY MUST DIE (HB) by Danielle Paige (YA)

What I purchased...
- DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE (HB) by Laini Taylor (YA)
- DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT (DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE #2) (HB) by Laini Taylor (YA)
- A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle Graphic HB Novel by Hope Larson (YA)
- BEWITCHING: THE KENDRA CHRONICLES (HB) by Alex Flinn (YA)
- CLOAKED (HB) by Alex Flinn (YA)
- SPEAK (PB) by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA)
- MONSTROUS BEAUTY (HB) by Elizabeth Fama (YA)
- THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME (HB) by Jennifer E. Smith (YA)
- BAD HABITS: Confessions of a Recovering Catholic (signed PB) by Jenny McCarthy (A)
- STIRRING THE POT: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life (signed HB) by Jenny McCarthy (A)

Currently reading...
- CITY OF LOST SOULS (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare (YA)
- THE A-WORD (Sweet Dead Life #2) by Joy Preble (YA) for Blog Tour/Review

What's distracting me from reading...
- Twilight movie marathon :P
- Countdown to the last day of school for my big boys: 5 1/2 weeks left!!!
- My three sons and baby nephew :)

Thank you so very much for stopping by today!!!

Please share your thoughts and links in the comments!!!

xoxo